The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1887-08-21
NUMBER II.
TRAVELS IN SPAIN.


An excursion from Madrid to the
Escurial enables the traveller 10 SEQ
that huge pile of granite. only exceeded
in size by the Pyramids, and called by
Spaniards the eighth wonder of the
world. erected by the monk King
Philip ii. 1t is a quadrilatcral struct-
ure, climbing up hill, MS it were. con-
tanning palace. church, convent and
cloisters. 1t is seen from the railway,
first on one side and then on the other.
After leaving the station, going TO
Madrid. | looked at it, and could
scarcely believe my eyes, for though
built of grey unpublished stone, the ris-
ing sun made it shine like FURNISHED
silver. An excursion from Madrid To
Toledo will occupy day satisfactorily.
Toledo is u dying and will be dead
city. This may be trnly said OF all the
ancient cities of Spain. Barcelona,
Valentia, Carthagena, Malaga and
Cadiz, as sca-poris, may escape longer
than the inland cities, but they are all
doomed. Like causes produce like eff
fccts. Assyria. Greece, Rome. Carthage
all paid the penalty which follows in
the path of great wealth, with people
having no sound moral principles.
Wealth brought corruption, enervation.
decay, death. Spain is dccaying ma
ton France, fear. will follow herr.
and the travellers of the future will
visit the remains of Spanish cities much
as they now do Damascus, Thebes and
the ruins of other cities Of bygone
ages. This thought came to me as
walked the silent and deserted
streets of Toledo, once the favorite
city of Ferdinand and Isabel. and of
the founder of the lnquisition, which
building is now habitcd by ''holy
women," and is near mad house. In
| the fine cathedral. noticed curious
effect produced by the light coming
obliquely in the form Of an eclipse.
from cupola in the rear Of the choir
upon life-size images, projecting from
the cornicc.
An all-night ride from Madrid brings
you to Cordova at an early hour--six
o'clock. BY continuing in the train
| Seville is reached in three hours. You
will have ample time to see Cordova
before eleven o'clock, when the next
train leaves for Seville; only this last
train takes about twice the time of the
express.
All the so-called express trains in
Spain go at night; the others are tolcr-
able. Timetables seem to be arranged
with special reference to inconvenience
| ing the traveller. One rides in Spain
in the railway because it is faster than
the jackass, but not much. The Ger
man bummcl train is u grande vitesse in
comparison. The trains between Cor
dova or Seville and Granada or Malaga
will refresh the travellers memory and
make him renew his anathcmas of Span
ish railways
Cordova was once the center of Eu-
ropean civilization, but is now dull and
| almost dead Those travellers who pro-
fess great knowledge of and interest in
art and architecture may make longer
stay, but the ordinary tourist, like my
self. not strong on churches and church
architecture, can do" the Mosque
| (now a cathcdraD in the time above
| given. 1t is considered the most per-
feet specimen cxtant or ever erected
of the religious architecture Of the
Moors in Spain. Indeed, it Is gcner-
ally ranked as the finest type in Eu-
rope of the true temple Of Islam. Its
characteristics arc: Vastncss, original
ity, great simplicity in the distribu-
ton, solidity, severe and massive, great
elegance in the curves and profilcs. a
happy combination of lines producing
vistas In shape it is the Basilica,
adapted to the Moslcm worship. Some
idea of its size may be learned from the
fact that with its patio, or court, it COW
ers over six acres
The court of oranges, within its en-
closure, is $50 by 210 feet, and the area
OF the whole is GAP by 462 feet In the
patio there are always trees. especially
palms and expresses. The orange trees
there now are 800 years old. The inn
| agination is lost when thinking of what
this mosque must have been, with its
roof fretted with gold and bright col
ors. the delicate traccry Of its walls, its
myriads of gold and silver lamps, its
numerous arches studded with precious
stones. resting on trunks of porphry,
jasper and other precious marbles. The
"Arabian Nights" seem to be WILDLY
brought back to You. But this once
magnificent example of Byzantine ART
has shared the fate Of the rest of dying
Spain. Charles v. erected Christian
church within its walls, which looks as
ineongruous as the French palace
erected by him in the Alhambrs.
Whitewash has obliteratod its beauti 5.
and ignorance and neglect will make il